The Citadel 3, Savannah State 0
CHARLESTON S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team downed the Savannah State Tigers in three sets on Tuesday evening in Tiger Arena.
The Citadel (6-10) went on an eight-point unanswered run in the first set to take the lead, but the Tigers responded to knot the set at 24-24. A kill by junior Megan Sowell paired with a Savannah State (0-17) attack error allowed the Bulldogs to claim the first set.
The blue and white held the lead through the entire second set to earn a 25-16 win, before solidifying their victory with a 25-13 win in the third set.
Junior Megan Sowell earned her fourth double-double of the season with a match-high 16 kills and 13 digs. Junior Sam Espy trailed Sowell in digs for the squad, with 12.
Senior Rachel Keefer recorded a match-high 34 assists, along with 13 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. The setter is third in the conference in double-doubles.
The Citadel will return home to take on ETSU in its conference opener at 4 p.m. on Saturday inside McAlister Field House.
ETSU 3, Tennessee State 0
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The ETSU volleyball team won its home opener Tuesday evening against Tennessee State, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-23). With the victory, the Bucs extend their winning streak to six matches and their record moves to 9-4 overall.
Junior Briana Allmon and sophomore Rylee Milhorn led the Bucs Tuesday evening as each posted a double-double. Allmon totaled 12 kills and 12 digs, while Milhorn posted 12 kills to go along with 10 digs. The duo of Allmon and Milhorn have combined for 10 double-doubles this season.
ETSU rolled in the first set as it won it by a final score of 25-11. The Bucs’ offense was firing on all cylinders as they hit a collective .652 with no errors in 23 attempts. On the flip side of the ball, the Bucs also held the Tigers’ offense in check holding them to a .077 hitting percentage in the first.
After struggling in the first, Tennessee State rebounded with a stellar effort in the second but the Bucs still won the frame, 25-21. ETSU trailed by as many as five points (11-6) in the stanza but Mariah McPartland, who had three kills in the second, and the rest of the Bucs rallied to take a 2-0 lead.
Unlike the first two sets, the two teams struggled offensively in the third hitting .133 and .026. With neither offense clicking, the two teams exchanged leads several times in the set with the Bucs coming out on top in the end, 25-23. A key for ETSU in the third was it totaled five blocks in the frame after notching just two blocks through the first two sets.
ETSU takes its 9-4 record and six-match winning streak to Greenville, South Carolina, on Friday where it opens conference play at Furman. First serve against the Paladins is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Mercer 3, Alabama A&M 1
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University volleyball team improved to 3-0 when playing in Hawkins Arena this season after its 3-1 victory over Alabama A&M on Tuesday evening.
With the win the Bears improve to 4-7 on the season. Alabama A&M falls to 1-15 in 2015.
The Bears claimed the opener after a back-and-forth first set by a score of 25-23 and then won the second stanza fairly comfortably 25-19. After the second set Mercer looked primed to finish the match in three but the Lady Bulldogs had other ideas. Alabama A&M rallied to win the third 25-21 and trim the Mercer advantage to 2-1. The Bears regained their focus in the fourth frame and won the final set 25-21 to ensure the 3-1 victory.
Jordan Gollon had an efficient performance on Tuesday evening. The junior matched her season high in kills with seven on just 11 attempts. Gollon did not make an error, giving her an attacking percentage of .636, which is a career best for the Stevens Point, Wis., native when recording at least five kills. Gollon also added three blocks, an ace and a dig to complete her best performance of 2015.
With 10 aces on the evening, Mercer became the first Southern Conference team this season to record double-digit aces in multiple matches during the 2015 season. The 10 aces were one shy of the Bears’ season-high 11 which came at Stetson in a five-set match on Sept. 11. Seven different Mercer players recorded at least one ace against the Lady Bulldogs with Tori Penrod leading the charge with three.
The Bears hit the road to open up SoCon play this weekend with matches against Samford on Friday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. EST and at Furman on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
High Point 3, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior Cristina Nazario of the Western Carolina volleyball team became just the seventh student-athlete in program history to record 3,000 career assists Tuesday night inside the Ramsey Center. Nazario needed 12 assists going into the match, and with the Catamounts trailing 18-15 in the third set, Nazario set up sophomore Kaycey Cermin for a kill to record her 12th assist of the night.
Nazario now joins an elite group of Catamount setters led by all-time assists leader Bri Milan-Williams (1998-01).
The Catamounts fell to visiting High Point University 3-0 in the match and it marked the Panthers first victory of Western Carolina since 1979.
Sophomore Katie O’Connor led the Catamounts with eight kills while freshmen Savannah Kohlhagen and Alyssa Zupan along with sophomore Jo-Leigh Vervelde all chipped in five kills.
Vervelde led WCU in assists with 14 while Nazario added 12. Vervelde also tied for the team lead in digs with 13 while senior libero Elyssa Mulheron added 13 as well.
WCU hit just .051 as a team while High point swung at a .250 clip.
Haley Barnes led the Panthers with 12 kills and 10 digs while Abby Broadstreet added nine kills and eight digs.
HPU swept the match 25-19, 25-14 and 25-20.
With the loss the Catamounts fall to 6-10 while the Panthers improve to 10-6 with the victory. Both teams open up conference play this Friday. WCU opens up against Wofford at home on Friday at 6 p.m., while High Point opens up Big South play against Campbell at home at 7 p.m.
USC Upstate 3, Wofford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Down two sets on the road against USC Upstate, the Wofford volleyball team rallied to take sets three and four and force a fifth set in front of an animated crowd Tuesday night at the Hodge Center.
After going down 13-10 in the race to 15, Wofford rolled off four straight points to go up 14-13, earning its first chance at completing its second two-set comeback in a week. However, Upstate extended the set on a Callie Yeargin kill and the two sides went toe-to-toe over the next several points.
Both teams were presented with four opportunities to win the match. In the end, it was USC Upstate (12-4) that wound up on top, scoring the final three points of the night to stall the Wofford (7-8) rally (22-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 20-22).
Three Terriers reached double figures in the kill column, led by a season-high 16 from sophomore Bella Santoro. The Greer native also put together her team-leading sixth double-double thanks to a career performance on defense, recording 26 digs to best her previous high of 18 as a freshman.
Senior libero Jessica Graham tallied a season-high 30 digs. Freshman middle Colleen Reilly registered her first collegiate double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs, also posting seven blocks to come up three shy of a triple-double.
Despite outblocking the Spartans 13-3, Wofford could not come away with the win. USC Upstate negated the advantage by outhitting the Terriers .162 to .139, posting 12 more kills and four more aces. The Spartans had nine aces on the night, marking the most the Terriers have allowed since late August.
The Terriers get Southern Conference play started on Friday when they visit Western Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Ramsey Center.